Happy Groundhog Day!

In anticipation of Groundhog Day, each child made their very own groundhog and made a prediction. Would he or wouldn't he see his shadow?  Here is our graph showing the class's predictions...

He didn't see it after all so we will have an early spring...seems like 

that prediction has already come true!

Be the Change!

Today we kicked off the "Be the Change" campaign!  Students will be working to earn special stars to vote for a special event which will held on the same day as the Snow-a-Thon on February 19th.  Several of our famous (infamous?) teachers here at HCS have volunteered their LIPS to a worthy cause...students will vote using special stars or coins to have one of these fine people KISS either a pig, chicken, cow or horse!!!  Mr. Lasher (sixth grade teacher), Ms. Luna (Spanish teacher), Mr. Rast (guidance counselor), Ms. Bradford (Special Education and behavior specialist), Mr. K. (Behavior specialist), and Mr. O'Hara (co-Principal) are anxiously waiting to see which animal receives the most votes!  

Ms. Bradford (aka Patrick the Starfish) and Kate Myhre introduced the contest to the kindergarten and first grades this morning at a short assembly.  

Children will be able to earn very special animal stars for showing Belonging, Sharing, Trust, Accepting responsibility, and Respect!

They can use those stars and coins to vote for the animal they'd like to see the teachers KISS by placing them in voting jugs!  Right now, the pig is leading!  I keep mentioning how wet and slimy a cow nose (and mouth!) tend to be, but children are sure the pig will be a very, very dirty animal to kiss!  Children are VERY motivated to earn the special animal stars!

Engineering Task Using Light

Today students performed their last investigation using light.  The task was an engineering task where students were asked to solve a real life problem.  They had to work together with a partner to design a solution, sketch their solution, build their solution, then test and revise their solution.  The task was this: You're on the way to the bus at the end of the day and make a quick trip into the bathroom.  You don't see the "wet floor" sign and as you round the corner you slip.  Now you've fallen in the school bathroom and can't get up to get help.  The hallway is very noisy at bus time and no one can hear your cries for help. The big wall blocks those outside from seeing you, either.  You just happen to have one of those little flashlights that clip onto your backpack and using a diagram of the bathroom I provide, can you design a way to signal someone in the hall that you need help?

Children quickly realized that the bathroom has a wall of mirrors and designed a plan that lets them shine light into the mirror which reflect into the hallway and shines in someone's eyes.  After sketching their solutions, each child was given materials to test and revise their solutions. 

The cardboard simulates the wall and the little sticks have paper faces to model the person who fell and a person in the hall.

Students moved their sticks and flashlights until the beam of light hit the 

face of the person in the "hall".

Some groups decided to try other ways of moving the 

light using two or more mirrors. 

All of them were excited to give it a try!

Future engineers!